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Keeping Your Home Security Secure

August 23, 2017PRIVACY AND FREEDOM

Home-security systems have harnessed the power of technology to provide users the most efficient and effective ways of protecting their homes and families. Systems that once involved complex webs of wires, buttons, and cameras now can be accessed right from the palm of your hand.

Most security systems now give users the power to tap into surveillance and monitor their settings and more from their personal computers, tablets or smartphones. The added convenience can mean added risk for hacking. Here are a few tips to keep your security system as secure as possible.

Choose a private email server. Security systems that can be monitored remotely often involve email notifications. Most private email servers use SSL and other security measures, which add an extra layer of protection.

Limit where you log in to your system. Many modern systems let you check on your home remotely through video surveillance and other functions. While reassuring, that can open you up to hacking. Only tap into your system through personal devices you control, such as a smartphone; never access the system at a work computer shared by others or in a public space like a library.

Be smart with your passwords. Just like with email security, follow the basics when it comes to setting passwords governing your security system and other aspects involved in the system, like your wireless Internet. Don't use common and easily identifiable numbers like your address, birthday or anniversary, and change your passwords every few months. Even though you may be inclined to trust your next-door neighbor with the code to shut off your alarm system, don't share that information with anyone outside your house; you can't be sure under whose eye a neighbor may jot the numbers down.

Invest in a higher-grade system. Many home-security systems do not encrypt the signals that pass between door and window sensors, which means that information can be intercepted by burglars who have the know-how to pick up a signal detector. Commercial-grade systems, however, are usually more secure and may have been equipped with the ability to encrypt the sensor info. Even though such systems will cost more, they can also provide added peace of mind.

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